Nothing better

Nothing better than fresh green beans!

Wordless Wednesday (There's No Place Like Home)

My Grandma

I miss my grandma every day, I think of her often and wish that she could be here to share in the lives of my children.  I wish that my grandma could pick up my kids and take them all over the state hunting down the best chicken noodle soup.  I miss my grandma like crazy but I have so many good memories to keep her alive.  I have things in my home that when I look at them I smile.  Sometimes Jackson takes Grandma's blanket to bed with him and it warms my heart.  It makes me feel like my grandma is getting the opportunity to give my boy a hug.  When I sleep with my sick little girl on the couch grandma wraps us in her arms and helps her to heal.  My kids have two grandmas, two wonderful grandmas and I know how lucky they are because they are going to have double what I had... and I had it good!

I took some photos of things around my home that remind me of my grandma.  I am lucky to also be the keeper of her button collection and hang her hand-made Christmas ornaments on my tree.

Grandma's pasta bowl... though I don't really remember it with pasta.

The books I read as a child at my grandparent's.

Grandma's blanket.

Strawberry Fields

A yearly tradition at Afton Apple Orchard.

Look at all these berries!

A tractor ride to the field.

Cheese! Or should we say, Strawberry!

All followed up with strawberry donuts.

Yum!

And more yum!  This year my friend Anne came over and taught us to make strawberry jam, which is super yum too!

Grapes for Apes

Ron to Jackson: "Do you know what a Great Ape is?"
Jackson: "An ape that eats grapes?"

Father's Day



My Dad, Grandpa and Step Grandmother



Yay!  We are at Nature Valley Bike Race in Stillwater, a Father's Day tradition.

My Dad could do that!

Family Self-Photo

Watching the racers!

Grandpa is 70

We celebrated Grandpa's 70th birthday at the nursing home with him.  Friends and family came to watch him blow his candles and open presents.  Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Place to Paint



What better place to make a mess with paint?!



Why am I not blogging?

I decided it was time for me to take a short break from school, just eight weeks.  Eight weeks will allow me some time to breathe and I am thrilled about it.  It is this break that is contributing to my lack of blogging.  See, I blog at night.  When I open my computer to start working on homework it's very easy for me to get distracted and head over to my blog instead of doing homework.  But now I don't have this issue.  When the evening comes, I don't need to open my computer.  Instead, I can read my kids bedtime stories, watch a movie or catch up on old episodes of Grey's Anatomy that I've been missing for the last several years.  I was all, Dr. McDreamy, who??

Well now I know that my favorite Can't Buy Me Love star is Dr. McDreamy!  I had his Teen Beat pages plastered all over the back of my closet door, growing up.  I will be a more regular blogger again when classes start back up in July but for now, I'm taking a Summer break!

Random Thoughts...

Who would win in a Po (Kung Fu Panda) vs. Annakin Skywalker (StarWars) battle? 

We are pretty sure that Addie is a lefty

Addie has a pretty good arm, I don't doubt she will be a softball player.

Garage sales aren't all that bad

The first mosquito of the season found my hand last night, while I was enjoying a beer with my hubby.

The garden is planted.  This year, if all goes well, we will be eating strawberries, cucumber, jalapenos, green peppers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, basil, oregano, tarragon, sage and rosemary.

Wordless Wednesday (Chocolate)